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Jim Schneider brought many news stories to the attention of listeners and asked for comments.The stories included:

--American government agencies made a record 13,753 requests to read e-mails or gather other information sent through Google’s “g-mail” and other services in 2012, more than half without warrants.--According to Arnie Duncan of the Department of Education, if the sequester goes into effect on March 1, 70,000 children could be kicked out of the “Head Start” program.--A majority of states have opted to let the deadline to form state insurance exchanges pass.--Last Friday President Obama recognized the recipients of the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal and one of them was the founder of PFLAG.--Leon Panetta has unilaterally issued a directive stating that the U.S. military will now extend certain benefits to unmarried domestic partners but only if they certify in writing to the Defense Department that they are of the same sex.--Rufus Gifford, former Democratic National Committee Finance Chair, is said to be the leading candidate for ambassador to Denmark.--Mormon John Huntsman, former governor of Utah, has recently spoken out in favor of same-sex marriage.--Lawyers challenging California’s Prop 8 urge Supreme Court to rule broadly that gays and lesbians deserve an equal right to marry.--New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is working on legislation to allow women to receive late-term abortions.--Formal complaint filed with the Maryland Board of Physicians against the medical license of late term abortionist LeRoy Carhart in the death of Jennifer Morbelli, a 29 year old Kindergarten teacher, who died after having her 33 week pregnancy terminated.--Judge grants injunction to pregnant Houston teenager who sued her parents to stop them from forcing her to have an abortion.--Planned Parenthood announces 2 clinic closures in the state of Iowa.--Colorado woman files suit after being forced to undergo an abortion without anesthesia and then was discovered to still have part of the fetus in her body.--Robert Alexander, the abortionist whose clinic was shut down as a threat to public health, is now working at a public STD clinic in Detroit.--Hobby Lobby continues to fight President Obama’s HHS mandate.--Affordable Healthcare Act affecting W-2 forms.--Duncan Brands looking to overturn another major provision of Obamacare.--China suspected of hacking key U.S. targets.--Ohio poll worker target of investigation for allegedly voting up to six times.--The Obama administration pressures Colorado to implement gun ownership restrictions.--Bill introduced in New York would require one-million dollars of liability insurance for gun ownership.--Chicago police superintendent said that gun owners who lobby their representatives or who give money to political campaigns for pro 2nd Amendment issues are guilty of corruption and of endangering public safety. --Study from the Department of Justice research wing has the feds admitting that so-called “assault weapons” are not a major contributor to gun crime.--The number of Americans purchasing guns up significantly since President Obama took office.--Tustin, California, shooter was a video game playing loner.--John Kerry says that looming sequestration cuts will reduce the State Department’s fiscal year 2013 budget by 2.6 billion dollars and could affect sensitive areas.--John Kerry tells students and faculty at the University of Virginia to be ready to join him and President Obama in curbing the potential threat of climate change.--Kansas State Board of Education to rule on new science standards.--People protesting in Washington regarding the Keystone XL pipeline show support for population control.--New Jersey authorities alleged that a Muslim ban beheaded two Coptic Christians.--Spain agrees that Moroccan children adopted by Spanish families must remain culturally and religiously Muslim until the age of 18.--The Al Jazeera cable news network has big plans for its American division.--The executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution encouraging the Boy Scouts to not change their policy banning openly gay members.--SB-323 in California determines to revoke the tax exempt status for a range of youth groups unless they agree to abandon any criteria related to gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and other categories.